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Fact is that most, if not all, of the popular sports around the world have british or american origin. Baseball is somewhat similar to cricket, isn't it? (sorry, I only know that both are played with ball and stick...).
So we can't talk about Baseball and its big role in American culture because some people might get offended and think we are saying "BASEBALL WAS INVENTED IN USA AND NOT ENGLAND" even though that is not at all what we are saying?
Of course you can. However there is no denying that the phrase does make some Americans believe that those things are "American as … " because they originate there.
Let me put it to you this way. What if Canadians started saying " As Canadian as Apple computers " or "As Canadian as Disney ".
Wouldn't you think we were claiming something that wasn't really ours?
Most important things like the air plane, the car, the train, the rocket, antibiotics, the steam engine, the petrol engine, the jet engine, the computer, the cell phone, the world wide web, and gravity were invented in Europe. Americans belief they invented most of these things because they were raised with the propaganda of 'American exceptionalism' but in reality there are not really good at anything.
Drro. What things have The Netherlands claimed as their own, when it wasn't?
Of course you can. However there is no denying that the phrase does make some Americans believe that those things are "American as … " because they originate there.
Let me put it to you this way. What if Canadians started saying " As Canadian as Apple computers " or "As Canadian as Disney ".
Wouldn't you think we were claiming something that wasn't really ours?
Idk it depends, what is the link between Canada - Apple computers and Disney?
Idk it depends, what is the link between Canada - Apple computers and Disney?
Apple computers and Apple stores are everywhere throughout Canada. Disney's TV show was shown on CBC back in the 1960's so Canadian kids grew up with not only Disney movies but the toys as well. ( I realize Apple and Disney go beyond just Canada of course ).
Let me rephrase it. It insinuates that these things are strictly American in origin.
No it doesn't. With all the different cultures in the US, those were some of the things that broke through cultures, and accepted across the board by most Americans. They were things in common. American. It's not where they originated, those are things that tie us together. They became American for us. Part of our culture.
Whether English, Scoth, Irish, Welsh, German, African, Native, Italian, French, Spanish, Portugese, Russian, Scandanavian, Romanian, Polish, etc..., these are all things in common that we embraced in our culture. It connected us as a people. Origin of these things has nothing to do with that.
It's a sharing and mixing of cultures that we all embraced and loved.
Maybe you just have to be an American to understand it.
As far as Alexander Graham Bell, that another post mentioned, there are many reasons why we claim him. The first being that he was an American citizen. They did build an estate in Canada, and vacationed there, and then finally moved there and lived for several years, and died there.
As far as I know he never became a Canadian citizen. He was questioned many times about his citizenship and was very proud of his American citizenship. Even though he lived out the rest of his days in Canada, it is said by many that he flew an American flag at his Canadian estate. He requested that his grave state that he died an American citizen.
You can see pictures online of his grave where they engraved right on it that he was born in Scotland, and died a citizen of the USA. That's what he wanted wrote on it, and he did die an American citizen.
Fact is that most, if not all, of the popular sports around the world have british or american origin. Baseball is somewhat similar to cricket, isn't it? (sorry, I only know that both are played with ball and stick...).
I suspect it depends how far you trace back their origins. The evolution of most sports can be traced back thought the centuries. The predecessor of modern tennis, court tennis, evolved from a medieval French game: Real tennis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Apple computers and Apple stores are everywhere throughout Canada. Disney's TV show was shown on CBC back in the 1960's so Canadian kids grew up with not only Disney movies but the toys as well. ( I realize Apple and Disney go beyond just Canada of course ).
Both are as common as apple pie
It would make sense if they were started out in America but moved to Canada where it flourished.
But that didn't happened, Disney and Apple were founded in America and flourished in America.
Baseball's earliest roots were founded in England. moved to America where it flourished and is one of the most popular sports in the country and plays a huge roll in American culture, everyone wears baseball caps these days, the best films about baseball were made in Hollywood (Sandlot, Major League, Field of Dreams) there is only one MLB team outside the United States. it even goes down to the little things like our speech, people use baseball metaphors for sex .
Looking at Google Earth you see a baseball stadium in almost every American city and i'm pretty sure not many people in the UK know who Mike Trout, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedoria, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodrigez and Derek Jeter are.
No it doesn't. With all the different cultures in the US, those were some of the things that broke through cultures, and accepted across the board by most Americans. They were things in common. American. It's not where they originated, those are things that tie us together. They became American for us. Part of our culture.
Whether English, Scoth, Irish, Welsh, German, African, Native, Italian, French, Spanish, Portugese, Russian, Scandanavian, Romanian, Polish, etc..., these are all things in common that we embraced in our culture. It connected us as a people. Origin of these things has nothing to do with that.
It's a sharing and mixing of cultures that we all embraced and loved.
Maybe you just have to be an American to understand it.
As far as Alexander Graham Bell, that another post mentioned, there are many reasons why we claim him. The first being that he was an American citizen. They did build an estate in Canada, and vacationed there, and then finally moved there and lived for several years, and died there.
As far as I know he never became a Canadian citizen. He was questioned many times about his citizenship and was very proud of his American citizenship. Even though he lived out the rest of his days in Canada, it is said by many that he flew an American flag at his Canadian estate. He requested that his grave state that he died an American citizen.
You can see pictures online of his grave where they engraved right on it that he was born in Scotland, and died a citizen of the USA. That's what he wanted wrote on it, and he did die an American citizen.
That is why Americans say, he was American.
You don't have to be an American to understand the blending of cultures. Perhaps just a citizen of a country of immigrants, in which the US is not the only one. Canada is a well.
Alexander Graham Bell, was a British subject who got US citizenship while remaining a British subject. There was no Canadian citizenship in those days since Canadians were also British subjects. The fact that he did as much if not more of his work in Canada, as the US does give Canada the right to claim him as well, especially as you mentioned that he lived and chose to be buried in Canada. I am NOT taking away the fact that he was an American, nor a Scot, but asserting the right to say he was as Canadian as he could of been for a man of his time. Would he have taken out Canadian citizenship if it existed? We will never know.
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